ITB
Berlin and Fachhochschule Worms organise the 16th annual meeting of
the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Tourismuswissenschaft.
This
year, at the 16th annual meeting of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Tourismuswissenschaft (DGT), the featured topic is tourism and
politics. The event will take place in the German capital from 29
November to 1 December 2012 and is being organised by ITB Berlin in
collaboration with Fachhochschule Worms. The main aims of the
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Tourismuswissenschaft include promoting
excellence in research and encouraging cooperation between science
and industry.
Commenting
on the objectives of the annual meeting, Prof. Dr. Roland Conrady,
chairman of DGT, science head of the ITB Berlin Convention, and
representing Fachhochschule Worms, said: “Rather fittingly for this
venue at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, the event will focus on how
politics and the travel industry influence one another and will also
analyse common areas. Furthermore, it will make recommendations on
how tourism and politics can collaborate in constructive ways.“
The
programme will include papers and panel discussions featuring both
members of the tourism industry and political parties, who will be
debating the influence of industry on various spheres of federal
politics, including employment, finances and social politics.
Discussion will also focus on those areas where politics and the
tourism industry exert a mutual positive influence and those where
they impede each other’s aims. Speaking at the event and taking
part in the discussions will be members of the CDU, SPD, Die Linke
and Bündnis 90/Die Grünen. Representing the tourism industry will
be Thomas Kropp, head of Corporate Policy and authorised board
representative of Deutsche Lufthansa AG; Otto Lindner, Chairman,
Lindner Hotels AG; Mag. Andreas Reiter, ZTB Zukunftsbüro Wien;
Michael Tenzer, CEO, Thomas Cook Touristik GmbH; and Dr. Wolf-Dieter
Zumpfort, head of TUI AG in Berlin.
“Tourism
and politics are not isolated entities, instead they impact
substantially on one another“, said Dr. Martin Buck, director of
the Competence Center Travel & Logistics at Messe Berlin GmbH.
“The travel industry is a mainstay of the economy, which is why any
discussion on how politics can further the development of tourism in
Germany as well as globally is all the more important.“
Besides
the role of tourism in domestic policy-making the organisers will
enable participants to look at developments beyond Germany’s
borders, as decisions at European and international level are also an
important factor. Thus, examples of best practices abroad will
provide additional insights during the three-day event. Dr. Dirk
Glaeßer of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will be speaking
about the relationship between tourism and politics at global level.
The
16th annual meeting of the DGT will take place in the Marshallhaus on
the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. To register, please go to www.dgt.de.
The programme includes attendance at lectures and panel discussions,
participation in the evening supporting programme, as well as
networking events.
